M'sian Paralympic Badminton Team Wins Big In Dubai Para-Badminton International

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According to The Star, World No 2 player Cheah Leik Hou defeated rival Dheva Anrimusthi of Indonesia during the men's singles in the impairment in upper body category at the Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club, Dubai last Sunday, 4 April.

The game — which was over an hour long — ended with Cheah recovering in the second half of the game, winning with scores of 22-20 and 21-18.

"It's my target to beat both Dheva and Suryo (Nugroho) in Dubai and I'm so happy to have achieved both. These were important wins in the run-up to the Tokyo Paralympics," The Star quoted Cheah as saying.

According to the Badminton World Federation website, Muhammad Ikhwan beat French player David Toupe with scores of 23-21 and 21-13 in a wheelchair men's singles game.

As for Noor Azwan, he defeated World No 10 Rick Cornell Hellman with scores of 18-21, 21-18, and 21-12 in another wheelchair men's singles game.

During the group stage, Azwan Noorlan also dominated the game and defeated World No 15 Thomas Jacobs from France, reported The Star.

As reported by the English daily, the next two major tournaments are the Spanish and Irish Para-Badminton Internationals, which will be held from 10 to 16 May and 21 to 27 June respectively.

Cheah — a potential gold medal winner for the Tokyo Paralympics, happening from 24 August to 5 September 2021 — said he was eager to get back in the court after a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've been in great form before the pandemic brought the circuit to a halt, so I'm going to go back on the court with the same confidence," he told reporters last month.